By Vanessa Lenz
SLN Staff
City of Whitewater voters will decide on April 2 whether they think corporations – nonprofits and for-profit enterprises – should have the same rights as individual people.
The Whitewater Common Council advanced the measure to the spring ballot following a local petition campaign by the Rock River affiliate of the Move to Amend organization.
The national Move to Amend movement seeks to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United decision in 2010 that essentially stated corporations have the same freedom of speech rights as individual citizens. Members of the court were split on the issue with a narrow 5-4 vote.
The group gathered 812 signatures to wind up on the ballot. Slightly more than 600 signatures were required – a figure representing the 15 percent of Whitewater voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election. A similar referendum will also appear on the ballot in Fort Atkinson.
The “yes” or “no” question by way of a nonbinding referendum will ask voters whether the city should adopt a resolution that speaks out against corporations having the same rights as citizens.
The question will appear on the ballot as follows:
“Shall the City of Whitewater adopt the following resolution:
“Resolved, that ‘We the People’ of the City of Whitewater, Wisconsin, seek to reclaim democracy from the expansion of corporate personhood rights and the corrupting influence of unregulated political contributions and spending. We stand with the Move to Amend campaign and communities across the country to support passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution stating:
“1. Only human beings – not corporations, limited liability companies, unions, non-profit organizations or similar associations and corporate entities – are endowed with constitutional rights, and
“2. Money is not free speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.”
“Be it resolved further, that we hereby instruct our State and Federal representatives to enact resolutions and legislation to advance this effort.”
Resolutions similar to the one being proposed in Whitewater have been passed in more than 150 cities across the U.S. In most instances, voters overwhelmingly favored reverting back to prior laws that drew a distinction between individual citizenry and corporations.
Dan Fary of the Rock River affiliate of the Move to Amend organization said the significance of a “yes” vote in Fort Atkinson and Whitewater for the amendment is four-fold.
“1. It will demonstrate to our local, state and federal officials the overwhelming support this amendment has. 2. It will demonstrate to surrounding communities just how strong the support is for this Amendment, encouraging them to pass similar referenda or resolutions,” he said.
He said it would also energize startup Move To Amend groups and other grassroots groups to think “If those conservative communities of Fort Atkinson and Whitewater can pass this resolution so overwhelmingly, we can do that in our own communities too.”
“All of the above positive outcomes will eventually lead to a Wisconsin resolution supporting the amendment, and finally actualize the 28th We the People Amendment passage by the U.S. Congress itself,” Fary said.
Incumbents battle for city’s at-large seat
Three of the seven Common Council seats are up for election in the City of Whitewater with one contested race on the ballot.
Council President Patrick Singer, who represents District 5, is looking to unseat incumbent Andrew Crone for the city’s councilmember-at-large seat.
“I’m running for the at-large seat because the work that I have started on issues of community-wide interest are not complete,” said Singer at the League of Women Voters candidate forum March 13.
Singer has been on the council for six years and has been president for five years.
Crone, an attorney, is looking to keep the seat the council appointed him to on Dec. 18 following the November death of longtime council member Marilyn Kienbaum.
“It’s not important for me to have my ideas prevail, but it’s about having everybody in this community’s ideas prevail,” Crone said at the forum.
UW-Whitewater student Sarah Bregant is running to fill the District 5 seat held Singer in an uncontested race.
In aldermanic districts 1 and 3, Jim Olsen and Jim Winship, respectively, are running unopposed.
The League of Women Voters in Whitewater has posted a candidate questionnaire and other information for Whitewater voters on its website, www.lwvwhitewater.org.
No contested races for school, town board
Incumbent board members, including chairperson Lowell Hagen, 1st side supervisor Rodney Wilson and 2nd side supervisor Norm Prusner are running for re-election in uncontested races. The town will now have an appointed and combined clerk/treasurer position following the passage of a referendum last spring.
Incumbents Brian Brunner and Charles Nass will run unopposed for two school board seats expiring in April.
